EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans have committed to making public the full transcript of their 14-hour interview with former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.
A spokesperson for the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic told the Washington Examiner that the subcommittee will be releasing the transcript before Fauci’s public hearing before the Oversight Committee, slated for early this summer.
Fauci, who was a top adviser to Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in responding to the pandemic, participated in two days of closed-door, transcribed interview testimony in January, which was his first public appearance since he retired in December 2022 after a nearly four-decadelong career as the leader of the largest branch of the National Institutes of Health.
Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) reported shortly after the transcribed interview that Fauci told the committee that the 6-foot limitation for social distancing guidelines and masking recommendations during the height of the pandemic were not based on scientific data.
Wenstrup also reported that the interview revealed “drastic and systemic failures” at the National Institutes of Health, such as a lack of oversight of U.S. investment in research projects conducted in foreign labs.
Subcommittee ranking member Raul Ruiz (D-CA) called the Republican push to interview Fauci an “extreme fishing expedition” for partisan gain, criticizing the polarization of the inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
On the first day of the interview, Ruiz demanded that the majority publicly release the full transcripts “as soon as possible.”
The subcommittee spokesperson said that they are not expecting to make substantive redactions when the public transcript is released.
Wenstrup told the Washington Examiner that the transcripts are currently going through an internal review process, which includes obtaining a verification of accuracy from both Fauci and the agencies involved.
Wenstrup also said that the subcommittee is planning on releasing interim staff reports based upon the testimony of Fauci and others that cover various elements of COVID-19 policy, such as school closures, lockdowns, and the vaccine rollout program, Operation Warp Speed. The staff reports will also incorporate the findings from investigations of the congressional committees with original jurisdiction over the relevant agencies.
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“It’s a lot to gather, and in some ways, I like to think of us as pulling from the work of all the committees,” Wenstrup said. “The subcommittee is just one subcommittee.”
The Washington Examiner contacted Fauci’s legal counsel, who represented the former public health official during the transcribed interview process. They have not responded for comment.
